Application of boron neutron capture therapy in the treatment of cerebral gliomas is discussed by Zamenhof, et al., Medical Physics 2 (1975) 47-59. Discussing the failure of earlier experiments, the authors point out that optimization of the neutron source will increase the chances of therapeutic success somewhat. However, success mainly depends on the availability of .sup.10 B compounds which exhibit a high .sup.10 B tumor-to-blood partition rather than those which achieve high absolute levels of .sup.10 B in the tumor.
Escher, et al., J. Labelled Comp. Radiopharm., Vol. XIV (1978) 487-96, report on a newly synthesized carborane-containing amino acid, which can be easily tagged to a protein. A model test with tobacco mosaic virus was not successful, because of the high number of receptor sites in the protein. Other boron-containing compounds capable of interaction with proteins are disclosed by Wong, et al., J. Med. Chem. 17 (1974) 785-91, and by Sneath, et al., J. Med. Chem. 17 (1974) 796-9.
The use of .sup.32 P and .sup.33 P containing phosphonates in the treatment of calcific tumors is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,254, granted June 22, 1976 to Tofe and Francis.
Zakharkin, et al., Izn. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, 9 (1969) 2056-7, disclose the synthesis of several o-carboranyl phosphines and of methyl-o-carboranylphosphorus acid. Zakharkin, et al., Zh. Obsch. Khim., 41 (1971) 588-92, disclose the preparation of (methyl-o-carboranyl) phosphonic acid, (phenyl-o-carboranyl) phosphonic acid, and o-carboranyl phosphonic acid. The synthesis of o-carboranyl diphosphonates is not disclosed.